Most diseases that frogs are subjected to are caused by their environment. Frogs for the most part are healthy robust creatures; however, once ill they are hard to treat!

Selecting a Pet Frog

When selecting a frog you need to be on the lookout for signs of illness or disease. A happy healthy frog will swim away from you while you are attempting to catch it.  A sick frog will not do this. A plump non-deformed looking frog is probably a healthy frog whereas a skinny abnormal bone structured frog is more than likely not well.  Hazy or cloudy eyes show signs of infection!  

Transporting Your Frog

Frogs can become quite freaked out when being moved around. They may thrash and jump and end up with injuries. It is best to move them as fast as possible!  It is better to not handle them much. When you get your frog to its new habitat leave it alone for a day or so to get used to its surroundings.

Water

Frogs such as the African Clawed frog spend 100% of their time in water. For this reason the water needs to be very clean.  You also want to make sure you use a dechlorinator to remove any chlorine from the water as well as other harmful additives.  You should do routine water changes and check the water's chemistry with kits available at local petstores.  You do not want to over feed as this causes the water to become dirty as well as creates water quality problems for your frogs.  (click here to read up on water issues that are safe for your frogs)

Kordon NovAqua Plus Water Conditioner
Forms a protective coating to reduce fish stress and neutralize toxins.

Kordon AmQuel
Eliminate the toxins in the water that can be harmful to your fish.

Kordon AmQuel Plus
Removes nitrate, nitrite ammonia, chlorine and chloramines from fresh or saltwater, without interfering with the biological cycle.

Overcrowding

Having too many frogs can be a bad thing.  It makes the tank too small as well as your frogs unhappy.  They could also become injured from running into one another as well as the tank sides. You want to make sure that the frogs you have in your tank can not become another frog's meal.  African Clawed Frogs will eat frogs that are smaller than they are!

Quarantine

Once you get a new frog you should keep it housed in a small tank for at least a week to watch for illness or disease before putting it in your already established tank.  (unless it is the first frog)

Ventilation

African Clawed Frogs live entirely under water and you need to be certain that they will not escape.  (escape stories )  I recommend that if you are using filters and their are any openings around the tank top that you cover them with a mesh material.

Diseases & Treatment

The best form of medicine is preventing your frog from becoming ill in the first place.  If you find that you have a sick or injured frog you should immediately remove it from the tank so that it does not spread to other frogs!

More info on disease

Check out these links when help is needed for your sick or injured pet!

Herp Forum (newsgroup that you can post messages to)

Herp Newsgroup

Herp Vet Connection

Herp Med

Net Vet

Amphibian Diseases Home Pages

Association of Reptilian and AmphibianVeterinarians

Melissa Kaplan's Reptile Vet List

 Wounds-Abrasions

These can be caused by your frog swimming into objects , fighting or smashing itself into the tank's side.  The wounds could become infected and kill the frog.  You should always contact a vet if this happens to your frog.  There are many books that state using Betadine or 3% (percent) hydrogen peroxide on the wounds with a very fine paintbrush will help the cuts or open wounds.

Swimming Abnormally (floating at the tank's surface) this info was sent to me by Terry (herpetologist)

Swimming disorders maybe the result of an acute bacterial infection. Is there swelling in the abdominal and leg area? The bloating can be caused by the frog unable to control the absorption of water through osmosis. The hoding of excessive water is called edema and a sign of kidney failure. Kidney disease is almost always fatal and there is no reliable treatment.

I would isolate the frog in a sterile tank, no substrate, decorations, etc; just water! Make sure you disinfect the tank before and after use. Treatment is much harder since the problem seems to be internal and the type of bacteria, parisite, or virus is unidentified. Try an atibiotic first. Tetracycline hydrochloride (available in aquarium stores) would be a first start. Follow label instructions. Since amphibian skin is very sensitive, it may cause slight damage to the frog's skin. Continue treatment until symptoms clear. If there isn't improvement in 2-3 weeks, try sulfamethazine (for bacterial gastrointestional infections) or metronidazole (for parisite infections). You should consult a veterinarian for a second opinion.

If your frog is older (6 years +), then treatment may not be effective.

Dropsy

Dropsy appears as bloating around the abdominal area.  It is sometimes said to be caused by bacteria, or metabolism disorder that results from poor water conditions or improper diet.  Your best bet here is to consult a Veterinarian who knows what they are doing!

Below photo shows my african clawed Scaredy Cat with severe dropsy!

Fungal Infections

This usually shows as reddish inflammation on the frog's skin.  If caught early you can treat with bathing the frog in a 2% solution of malachite green or mercurochrome for 5 minutes. (treat every 24 hours)You should see improvement after 3 treatments. (3 days) If no improvement is noticed you need to see a Veterinarian.

Red-Leg 

It appears as a reddening of the skin, mainly on the belly and undersides of the thighs. Red-Leg is normally caused by the parasite Aeromonas hydrophyla. The frog will normally show signs of laziness and not have much appetite. This disease is very deadly. You will want to isolate the infected frog immediately! You can treat the frog in a Sulfamethiazine bath (15 ml for every 10 liters of water) daily for 2 weeks. If the frog shows no signs of getting better by a week you might consult a veterinarian on using a tetracycline antibiotic.

COPYRIGHT © 1998-2008 All Rights Reserved by Lyn Duedall